Poultry News
Bangladesh Poultry Sector on the Brink of Collapse
• Nearly half of 115,000 poultry farms have faced closure over the past one and a half years
• Bangladesh Poultry Khamar Rokkha Jatiya Parishad blamed the government for not doing enough to tackle avian influenza that shut 54,000 poultry farms. The body that promises to protect poultry farms complained of inadequate compensation for the disease-affected farms
• Although the law prohibits imports of egg and day-old chick from any bird flu-infected country, the government is allowing traders to import eggs from India, where bird flu still prevails
Genetic Parameters of Foot Pad Dermatitis and Body Weight in Broilers
• Researchers based in Edinburgh found a genotype x environment interaction for four purebred lines in two environments in terms of the incidence of foot pad dermatitis (FPD). They did not find close genetic associations between FPD and bodyweight but they report that selection against FPD in a highly biosecure environment can improve the genetic merit for birds reared under commercial conditions
• In both environments, females showed higher prevalence of FPF than males
GFPT Expands, Monitors EU Embargo
• Thailand – GFPT Plc, the SET-listed chicken producer and exporter, outlined a 1.5-billion-baht investment plan to help it manage its business more sustainably and achieve annual sales of 20 billion baht in three years
• The investment would add parent-stock chicken farms this year and two more broiler farm projects from 2013-14, which will increase the group’s capacity to process 300,000 chickens a day, up from 250,000
• If the ban is lifted, Thai exporters will be allowed a quota of 92,610 tonnes of raw chickens per year to the EU. The EU allots Thailand 160,033 tonnes of processed chicken meat
New Cobb Research Agreement in Asia
• Thailand – Cobb, one of the world leaders in poultry breeding and CP Foods, of Thailand, have entered a new agreement to pursue research and development opportunities in the Asian region
Unhygienic Chicken Meat Supply on the Rise
• Pakistan – Sale of unhygienic chicken meat is on the rise in Lahore, causing different diseases among the citizens while the authorities concerned are silent over the issue despite dozens of public complaints in this respect
• The chicken meat vendors and shopkeepers admitted to the purchase and sale of sick chickens but claim that they are not responsible because they just are selling the meat to earn money
• Buyers and consumers criticized the government, saying that it is the responsibility of the government and its departments to check the quality of edibles including meat before supply to markets because they do not know whether they are purchasing meat or infected ones
Pork News
Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Modulate the Immune Response of Pigs?
• Pork producers should include plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in flaxseed, into the diets of lactating sows or newly weaned piglets but ensure that the ratio does not go below 5:1 omega-6:omega-3
• There have been many nutritional strategies implemented with the goal of improving piglet performance at the time of weaning. These strategies may include the use of creep feed, inclusion of highly palatable protein sources, or even the use of novel ingredients, flavours and aromas to stimulate feed intake. The use of omega-3 (n3) fatty acids is becoming a growing area of interest for hog producers due to their known health benefits
• The experiments demonstrated that feeding n3 fatty acids to sows can affect piglet responses to immune challenges at weaning. They also showed that feeding piglets’ starter diets with n3’s in the nursery can also modulate their inflammatory reactions
Pork Imports to Increase on Strong Demand
• China - Pork Imports have already hit the nadir and there seems to be no let up in demand, considering that domestic supplies are likely to remain constrained for some time
• The gap between supply and demand is bound to increase within the next few years, despite an expected recovery from diseases and the reduction of small-scale pork farmers
• The sharp decline in pork production last year led to record imports. China’s imports of pork and pork offal reached 1.35 million tons, up 50% over 2010, with the US being the largest exporter. Pork imports stood at 467,000 tons last year, and pork offal stood at 882,200 tons.
Pig Farmers Expect Mass Bankruptcy by October
• Taiwan – Despite assurances of support from the government, the country’s pig farmers, worrying that pork prices might remain low until mid-2013, on Sunday expressed their belief that about half of them may go bankrupt within seven months
• It takes the prices of pigs at least 14 months to rebound back to the normal level, adding about 50 to 60% of the country’s pig farmers may go bankrupt
Aqua News
Jump in Farm, Food Exports in First Quarter
• South Korea’s food and agriculture exports rose more than 11% on-year in the first quarter of 2012 on solid demand in the United States, Japan and China
• The growth was largely led by an increase in shipments of fresh produce and fishery products, which rose 27.5% and 13.5% on-year, respectively
• South Korea aims to export over $10 billion worth of farm, fishery and food products this year from a record $7.7 billion reached in 2011
Bar Coding for Fish Looms in the Philippines
• Philippines – A bureau of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is now working on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting of fish products to eventually establish a barcoding system to identify the exact species being bought by consumers
• This system is critical in food safety and in ensuring that global markets can trace origin of fishery products. With barcoding, the genetic material of fish species can easily be known and properly revealed to consumers
• Without accurate identification of fish species through DNA barcoding, misleading of fishery species may occur, NFRDI warned
Fish Led Farm, Food Export Jump in First Quarter
• South Korea’s food and agriculture exports rose more than 11% on-year in the first quarter of 2012 on solid demand in the United States, Japan and China
• The growth was largely led by an increase in shipments of fresh produce and fishery products, which rose 27.5% and13.5% on-year, respectively
• By nation, exports to the United States jumped 17.3% on-year to $156.5 million with Japan, the world’s largest importer of South Korean food products, purchasing $555.8 million worth of products, up 15.0% from the same period in 2011
Seafood Giant Sees $5bn Revenue in 2015 Via Growth
• Thailand – Thai Union Frozen Products (TUF), Thailand’s largest producer and exporter of processed and frozen seafood products, expects to generate revenue of US$5 billion (Bt153 billion) in 2015, driven mainly by strong growth and merger and acquisition strategies, particularly in the US and European markets
• TUF expects sales of almost $4 billion this year, which would be 15% above last years $3.2 billion. An annual 15% increase is also targeted in the following two years
• In spite of an economic slowdown in European markets, demand for canned and frozen seafood has not fallen as tuna and shrimp are considered to be cheap sources of protein
China to Halt Import of Indian Seafood from 1 June
• China and India - China, the largest market for Indian seafood items, will stop imports from the country from 1 June. In a major development that will hit the domestic marine export business, India has been excluded from the list of countries that have cleared China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) certification norms for export of aquatic products
• China will allow seafood consighments from AQSIQ-approved countries only
• In a notification, AQSIQ had approved 27 countries that confirmed import conditions. Of these, seven – Viet Nam, Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Myanmar and South Korea – are form the Asian region. Ten nations from Europe, seven from the American Continent and Australia and New Zealand are also included in the list of approved countries
Feed News
Soybean Imports to Maintain an Uptrend
• China – Soybean imports by China are expected to maintain an uptrend in the next 10 to 15 years with growth being driven primarily by the demand from urban residents
• China’s imports of soybean are expected to go up by 62% to 90 million tons over the next 10 years. Total soybean consumption has risen 64% since 2005, but the self-sufficiency rate stands at about 20%, according to Customs
• Soymeal, produced in China largely from imported soybeans, is an integral protein component of the feed necessary to support China’s burgeoning pork, poultry and aquaculture industries
Research: Ochratoxin A in wheat in India
• Indian research looked at detection of Ochratoxin A in wheat samples in different regions of India
• Orchratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin produced by different species of Aspergillus and Penicillium spp of fungi, occurs in cereal grains, spices, coffee beans and various types of cereal products
• Overall, the study provides evidence for possible contamination of wheat produce thereby leading to exposure risk in Indian population
Ruminant News
Myanmar Looks to Expand Domestic Dairy Production
• Myanmar – Looking to promote dairy production in Myanmar, the Ministry of Agriculture has visited the Indian National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
• The group is looking to set up a similar board in Myanmar, which will provide technical support to producers and assist in setting up processing plants and training facilities
• The Myanmar Minister of Agriculture also requested NDDB’s help in establishing a dairy framework and cooperatives
China Learns Diary Food Safety from US
• China & US – The International Dairy Food Association (IDFA) recently hosted a delegation from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a federal government organization responsible for several of the country’s domestic regulations. This ministry, along with other Chinese agencies, is helping to develop and enhance food safety regulations in China
• More than 25 delegates came to learn about US food safety programmes, regulatory systems and best practices to help guide their regulatory efforts
Dairy Cows Have individual temperaments
• From a young age, dairy cows react differently from each other to stimuli from their surroundings. An animal’s temperament determines how it reacts in stressful situations, but may also influence its general health. In the future, temperament could be bred as a selective trait to improve the robustness and wellbeing of dairy cows
• Mr. Van Reenen carried out behavioural tests and physiological examinations in order to determine how the animals react to external stimuli. He focused on the following, among others: fear responses, lowing (vocalization), stamping, pulse and the release of cortisol as the external characteristics of underlying traits – including timidity, the need for social contact and movement – that, taken together, determine the temperament
Nestle Boosts Dairy Industry in Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka – Nestle is strengthening the dairy industry in Asia with the opening of a new UHT milk factory in Sri Lanka
• It will produce ready-to-drink brands such as Milo and Nespray at Nestle’s existing manufacturing site in the Sri Lankan province of Kurunegala
• The CHF 5.8 million (US$6.3 million) factory is part of a CHF 77 million (US$84 million) total investment in Sri Lanka over the next few years
• Nestle is Sri Lanka’s single largest private sector collector of fresh milk, procuring fresh milk from over 15,000 local dairy farmers every day
Supermarket Milk Margins Over 40 Per Cent
• New Zealand – Far from being a promotional ‘stunt’ claimed by its rivals, supermarket Nosh has signed a bottling agreement to sell two litres of milk for $2.49. Federated Farmers believes this exposes supermarket ‘home brand’ milk margins of well over 40%
• Two Wellington supermarkets selling two-litres of the same ‘home brand’ milk for $2.99 and $3.65 respectively. Using Nosh’s permanent pricing reveals margins of between 20 and 46%
• What happens next very much depends on consumers, because at $2.49 for two litres, it’s massively cheaper than Coles’ heavily subsidized milk in Australia. Nosh has focused attention where it has been lacking; that’s supermarket margins and not the farm gate
Market News
Government Invests in Future of Farming
• Australia – The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has welcomed the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s announcement of additional funding for the Blueprint for Australian Agriculture
• “The Blueprint aims to give farmers and all within the agricultural supply chain the opportunity to identify the issues, challenges and future direction of the agricultural sector: to help identify where we want to go and how we’re going to get there”
China Becomes Biggest Grocery Market
• China has overtaken the United States (US) as the world’s biggest food and grocery retail market, according to the latest research published
• According to the findings the Chinese grocery sector was worth £607bn at the end of 2011, while the US market came in at £572bn over the same period – the second largest in the world
• By 2015, the Chinese market is forecast to be worth £918bn compared to a US value of £675bn
Building Taiwan’s ag-industry with new standards
• Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture is under pressure from feed millers and poultry producers to establish national mycotoxin standards for grains and feedstuffs
• The Council’s Taiwan office worked with Taiwan’s COA and feed sector representatives to hold a mycotoxin standard policy meeting
• The Council of Agriculture plans to publish a technical bulletin on mycotoxin by July
Australian Food Production Increasing
• Australia – The total value of Australian farm and fisheries food production increased by 17% in 2010-11, a new government publication has revealed
• In 2010-11, more than 1.68 million people from production through to food service were employed in the food business
• The contribution that farmers make to the Australian economy through this industry is reflected in Australia’s food exports which were valued at $27.1 billion in 2010-11, up 10% from the previous year
